The Outcast of Midgar
by ChainLinx
Summary: Shinra is a fascist dictatorship ruling the city of Midgar. However, an anarchist group called Avalanche, plot to overthrow Shinra. Cloud and Tifa, members of Avalanche, must decide if it is morally right to commit acts of terrorism to ensure the equal


Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII and its characters, properties, etc.  
  
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A quarter after midnight. A huge blanket of smog covered Midgar. The dim lights of the city was flickering on and off. There was no life on the streets. It was quiet and peaceful until a huge explosion roared out of nowhere. Reactor #5 was in flames.  
  
Out of the ashes, ran out a group of men dodging the MP's gunfire. They ran out into an alleyway and climbed over the fence and disappeared into the darkness.  
  
"You think we lost them?" asked one of the men, wrapped in a dark red and black cloak. "I dunno, shut and keep moving," replied another, dressed in combat fatigues and armed with a cannon on his left arm. "There it is. Get in the van!"  
  
As the crew jumped onto the train, it had seemed they were safe for now. However a few moments later, another man was running towards the station, followed by gunfire. "Hey wait up! Wait up!" he cried. The big man with the cannon arm fired back at the Soldier MPs chasing him. With a quick spray of bullets, he gunned them down. Behind them, came another wave of Soldiers.  
  
"Damn it, Cloud! Hurry!"  
  
The man ran as fast as his tired legs could and jumped into the van. Quickly they shut the door and sped off.  
  
"Cloud, you moron, what took you so long?" yelled the driver, an unshaven man wearing a pilot's jacket.  
  
"Sorry Cid," he said, trying to catch his breath. "I can't run very fast."  
  
"Yeah, no shit. Here." He tossed him a small bag from the front. Cloud took it, and grabbed out an asthma inhaler.  
  
"You gonna get us killed one of these days, you know that?" "Chill out Barret, we still got the job done right?" a plumb guy in the back quipped.  
  
"Shut up Wedge, you fat fuck! Did I ask you?" hollered Barret. "We barely escaped from the skin of our teeth!" "Barret, that doesn't make any sense," Wedge said. "Quiet!"  
  
The rest of the crew backed off, knowing to keep silent. Barret moved over to the front of the vehicle. "Cid, we gotta ditch the van."  
  
"Right." Cid said, making a left, turning onto the freeway exiting Midgar Sector 5. "We'll dump it near the Slums."  
  
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A few minutes later, Cid stopped the van in front of a junkyard. "Alright fools, get out," Barret ordered. One by one, each one of them got out of the van. Cid put the vehicle in neutral and let it crash into a trash heap.  
  
"Ok, listen up," Barret announced. "Our next target is Reactor #7. You better believe that they're gonna have lots more security at the other reactors after what happened today. Our next job is gonna be ten times harder."  
  
"How long are we gonna lay low?" one of the men asked.  
  
"I don't know Vincent. I don't know man. Couple weeks maybe. However, that doesn't mean ya'll can go ahead and go fuckin around. This shit's gonna be all over the news. The media's gonna eat this up. So be careful. Watch your backs."  
  
"So what do we do until the next hit?" "I'll come up with some plans," Barret said. "Don't worry about that. In the meantime, you guys got homework to do. Biggs, Wedge, you're handling the security systems again. Get the proper parts, equipments, cameras, and all that other crap. Install it the day before the hit. I'll let you know when. Also, I wanna know what shifts the guards are working, what time they come in, what time they go out.  
  
"Jessie, you're the driver this time. Get a good vehicle, walkthrough and plan the escape route. Have a backup route ready in case they block it off. Got it?" "Got it," replied Jessie, nodding.  
  
"Cid, that means you've got the technician job. So it's your job to shut down all the electrical and battery powered systems in the reactor. Think you can handle that?" "Of course I can. I'm a goddamn engineer," Cid replied. "Alright good."  
  
"Vincent, check out the ventilation and sewer systems. Figure out our best approach to getting into the reactor. If you can, get a diagram or blueprint of the entire reactor. I want the entire reactor mapped out. I want to know all the ways in, all the ways out.  
  
"And you," Barret said, looking at Cloud. "The best thing you can do for us is stay at home." Cloud looked at him with weary eyes. "But I." "You're going in the reactor to plant the bomb," Barret continued. "Only this time I'm going with you to make sure there's no fuck-ups.  
  
"Okay, same place next Friday. Meet outside the bar in Wall Market. Meeting adjourned."  
  
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As his team members walked off in their own separate ways, Cloud slowly got up and started walking toward the Slums. The Slums. It was a place that Midgar's high class elite had banished all the low class people. The bums, the poor, the unemployed, the disabled; all were homeless and had to make the streets of the Slums their home. Cloud was one of them. Except there was something that differentiates Cloud from the rest of the people in the Slums. Cloud was a freak. A genetic disorder. He had a large forehead, glowing red eyes, fangs as teeth. He was considered some sort of alien.  
  
When Cloud finally got to the Slums, he cleared off a space on the streets for him to sleep for the night. He took a garbage bag near the dumpster and used it as a pillow. He lied down, stretching out on the rough asphalt. As he looked up, he could barely see the stars up above. He remembered a time when there he could just look up at the sky, and see the stars so clearly, shining so brightly. Now the sky was covered in a think blanket of smog caused by pollution. But there was a time when the sky twinkled with little specks, a sign of hope and happiness.  
  
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ChainLinx: Sup! This is the first chapter of my first story. It's similar to the plot of FF7, but as you will find out, it's very different from FF7 as well. I am going to be focusing on the conflict between Avalanche and Shinra, and lay off all the Sephiroth, Meteor, Holy, that kind of stuff. And don't worry, I'm gonna have other major characters: Tifa, Cait Sith, Red XIII, Yuffie, and others will come in later. Oh yeah in case you're wondering, the title was inspired by Brian Jacques' "The Outcast of Redwall." Read it! Anyway, read and review please! 


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